Asa Francis: The Jevon Kearse of the af2
August 5, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Quad City Steamwheelers News Release
Some might think that when Quad City Steamwheelers DS Asa Francis was born, he was born with a football in his hands. While others think otherwise. Those who know Francis as he is now know that the doctor had the football in his hands and it was Francis who came out to sack the doctor.
He was born to Claudette and Felix Francis on July 3, 1978, and no, he did not tackle the doctor for a sack, that comes later. Not too long after Francis was born did his parents divorce, leaving Francis with his mother and older sister, Suzette to raise him.
"My mom was basically my influence," Francis said. "She was a mom who was trying to raise a son, which is hard for a female to do since they don't understand what a young guy goes through."
It all started in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Francis' birthplace and home for the first 18 years of his life. With no basketball hoop anywhere in sight and only a sand lot and a football around, Francis and his friends were stuck with nothing else to do but play football.
"It was an everyday thing, we would play sandlot football," Francis said. "Football was really the only thing we could play when we were little.
"If we had a football, that is what we were playing and there were a lot of us kids who were the same age, so we always had a good game going with all the people we had there to play.
So naturally when it came time for high school, Francis and his friends would go out for the Dillard High School football team.
However, football was not Francis' only passion. Francis had always liked basketball, but never had the opportunity to play. Francis also wanted to try track but "I always liked basketball, but I couldn't jump that high," Francis said. "I wanted to try track, but I was too scared to get beat in front of all of those people.
"I knew that football was my thing, that was my place in the sports world."
In his junior year, Francis set a school record with 21 sacks and the next season would be highly recruited by numerous NCAA Division I colleges. The one that was atop Francis' list was the University of Miami (Fla.), considering their history and the short drive to Miami, Fla. Francis was set to attend the University of Miami.
That would not be the case as Francis decided to attend the University of Auburn. After one semester at Auburn, Francis decided that it was time for a change.
Francis, with influence from his mother, decided that he would change schools and head to New Mexico Military Institute. A place that would change Francis for the rest of his life.
"I didn't even think that that school was going to be so military-like," Francis said. "When I first got there it was a shell shock.
"I wasn't very focused and didn't have a lot of discipline and was a short tempered person," Francis added. "The military breaks you down then builds you back up, it was tough to deal with, but it made me a better person."
In his senior season Francis earned Western Junior Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors which made him feel no different.
"I knew that I was a good player," Francis said. "And the goals that I have, I expected it. "I don't want people to think that I am just an average player, because I am not just an average player."
Not too long after graduation, Francis headed off to New Jersey to meet a person that would help make him the player that he is now.
The AFL's New Jersey Gladiators were preparing for their 2001 season and then Defensive Coordinator Rich Ingold was looking to do anything to make his team better. Then, along came Francis. Francis would grow into a player that Ingold would trust.
"Always has been a fiery guy," Francis said of Ingold. "He is a coach that understands players, one of those guys that can see players hearts."
As the season went along, Francis was not playing large amounts of minutes, but once he got the opportunity, because of Ingold's belief in him, Francis played well, but was still considered undersize.
"He (Ingold) always fought for me to get playing time and one time when he did, I played well."
A year later Ingold took a head-coaching job with the Quad City Steamwheelers and after his first season, Ingold called up Francis and asked him to come play with him once again.
"I didn't want to quit playing football and coach (Ingold) called me and asked me to come play with him," Francis said. "The bottom line is that I have to show all of those guys what kind of player that I am, that is why I am here."
The season started with Francis backing up starting fullback/linebacker Josh Fourdyce. Francis did not mind the position but wanted more to be the guy just hitting people, not hitting people and having people hit him (as they do when Francis is on the offensive side of the ball).
"I was just happy to be playing the game," Francis said. "I have played it before, but it was tough playing on the offensive side of the ball because I never played offense before.
"The fact that I am out here being able to hit somebody makes me blessed." Midway through the season, Francis approached Ingold about playing defensive specialist and play at defensive end. (The defensive specialists usually play the safety and cornerback positions).
"It something that I had done all of my years of high school and college," Francis said. "Coach Ingold knows what type of player I am, especially on defense. When I came to him with the idea, he thought that it would be good to put a guy like me on the defensive side of the ball all the time.
"I am a destructive force on defense.
"It all made sense, what excited me about it is having Asa Francis on the field all the time on defense," Ingold said. "And he is not wasting his energy on offense, he can do what he does best and that's play defense and rush the passer. It was a great, intelligent move by him and I just agreed with him."
So the move was made and it was probably the best decision that Francis has ever had and one that Ingold is happy that he went with.
Francis had his best game of the season, shortly after the move to DS, when the Steamwheelers traveled to Hawaii to take on the Islanders. Francis walked out of the game with five sacks, a feat that no other player in arenafootball2 had ever accomplished until then.
Prior to Francis' move to the DS position the Steamwheelers sat towards the bottom of list in sacks, with the Francis move, it sent them moving towards the top.
Francis is not a player who is you average sized defensive lineman. Francis stands at 6'3" and 225-pounds compared to the average 6'2" and 275-pound linemen. So with his size not giving him the power, what makes Francis the player that he is? It is his speed, he is like the Jevon Kearse of the af2.
"I may be smaller, but I know that I can be meaner than the next guy. I just have to be more aggressive than the guy in front of me," Francis said.
His quickness helped him climb up the af2 sack leaders list, recording a sack in all four of the Steamwheelers last four games.
Francis would finish the season with 13.5 sacks, tops in the af2 and won the ADT Defensive Player of the Game award five straight games spanning from May 24th through July 12th.
Francis was also named the af2's ADT Defensive Player of the Week in Weeks 14 and 16, something that only two other Steamwheelers did this season.
"Every game is a statement game for me," Francis said. "But I am definitely there for the team, that is all that matters."
So the question arises, what would Francis have done if he had played the entire season at defensive end?
"I would have broke the af2 sack record," Francis said. "No one has put up that many sacks in that short amount of time like I did."
Many would not doubt it. Just ask any opposing quarterback prior to a game, telling his linemen to be sure to really block #6 (Francis' number).
"They line up different, they change their pass protection style, they worry about me," Francis said. "I can see guys when we are warming up looking at me, seeing what I am trying to do."
Francis is now hoping that his image and what he does on the field will help him advance to the next level. Coaches around the league have looked past his size and started to look at his speed and have started to try and figure out ways on how to stop him, the only problem is, if Francis has his way, there won't be a way to stop him.
arenafootball2 Stories from August 5, 2003
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- Wolves Lineman Charlie Cook Named ADT Defensive Player of the Week - Mohegan Wolves
- Wolves Move on in 2003 af2 Playoffs - Mohegan Wolves
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